Senate OKs helping tribes rebuild housing lost to Columbia dams

The U.S. Senate passed provisions Thursday to help rebuild housing for Columbia River tribes lost to the construction of dams close to 80 years ago.

All four Northwest senators — Oregon’s Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Washington’s Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell — backed the proposal.

The provisions are part of the proposed Water Resources Development Act.

Since the 1930s, the four Columbia River Treaty tribes, have been displaced due to construction the three lower Columbia River dams.

The four tribes are Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Nez Perce Tribe, and Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Indian Nation of the Yakama Reservation.

Members of these tribes have not had adequate housing and infrastructure along the Columbia River due to construction, the senators said.B

But they have a treaty-protected right to fish along the river, and in many instances the tribal members used the areas as long-term residences.

Originally, the sites were used primarily for daily, in-season fishing and temporary camping. However, it was discovered that as many as 85 families who lived on the Columbia River banks prior to construction did not receive relocation assistance.

“It’s totally unacceptable that decades after the federal government’s dams wiped out our tribes’ communities and fishing sites with thousands of years of history, we still have not honored our obligations to tribal members along the Columbia River,” said Merkley. “We need to keep our promises for relocation and housing for the communities that were displaced. I’ll keep pushing to get these provisions to the president’s desk and signed into law.”

The provisions passed as part of the WRDA will help fulfill unmet housing obligations by authorizing the Army Corps of Engineers to provide relocation help to Native families displaced by the Bonneville Dam construction. Furthermore, the Corps of Engineers will conduct a study of Native families displaced by the John Day Dam to determine relocation assistance obligations.

“This is a strong step forward to honor our promise to respect treaty rights and restore tribal housing,” said Murray. “Salmon fishing is an integral part of the Native American legacy, and we must support that tradition with the necessary critical infrastructure and housing for tribes affected by dam construction. I’m proud to have reached this milestone, and I will keep working with my colleagues in the House to get this done.”